With help from NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope in low-Earth orbit, scientists recently observed a Pluto-like object being \u201ceaten\u201d by its host star. Hubble\u2019s unique sensitivity to ultraviolet light allowed it to study the planetary system, which lies around 260 light-years away from Earth.<\/p>\n
The hungry star is a white dwarf \u2014 the dense, stellar core left behind after a low-mass star dies and blows away its outer layers. The white dwarf observed by Hubble is about the size of Earth but much heavier, at around half the mass of our Sun. The star\u2019s immense density gives it a strong gravitational field that likely pulled the Pluto-like object from a region within the planetary system similar to our Kuiper Belt.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Much like Pluto and other Kuiper Belt objects within our solar system, the Pluto-like object was composed of ice, carbon, and other volatiles, suggesting the presence of water on the object. The team of scientists, led by Snehalata Sahu of the University of Warwick in the U.K., detected these volatiles being ejected from the object and falling onto the white dwarf \u2014 allowing them to measure the chemical composition of the object.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n